0228 



English, common virgin's bower, traveller's joy. Spanish, hierba de pordioseros. 



The oriental clematis, Clematis orientalis, LINN., is a shrub discovered by 

 Tournefort on his voyage to the Levant. It makes a most suitable covering for arbors. The 

 compound leaves consist of blue-green leaflets that are pointed, bent, and often lobed. 

 The yellowish flowers are arranged in panicles. The corolla has four lanceolate divisions; 

 there are large numbers of stamens and ovaries. They are replaced by feathery, whitish 

 capsules. 



FLOWERS: from June until October. 



NOMENCLATURE. Clematis, from a Greek word that means leafy vine-branch, 

 because the stems of clematises climb and spread out like vines. 



USES. Almost all of the clematises are grown as ornamentals for gardens. They 

 decorate old walls, palisades, and trellises. The traveler' s-joy is caustic and corrosive; its 

 leaves, when crushed and applied to the skin, cause inflammation. That's why certain 

 beggars use them for inducing ulcerations to arouse sympathy. But they cure themselves 

 easily by applying chard leaves. This type of clematis would be extremely hazardous if 

 taken internally. 



CULTIVATION. Clematises are propagated by planting seeds as well as by 

 layering and by dividing the plants. 



KEY TO PLATES. 



1. Blue clematis. 2. Stamens and ovaries. 3. Separated ovaries. 4. Intact fruit. 

 5. Detached seed. 



1. Fern-leaved clematis. 2. Complete flower. 3. Stamens. 



1. Traveler' s-joy. 2. Fruit. 



1 . Oriental clematis. 2. Stamens and pistil. 3. Fruit. 



